How many times can I die in Dark Souls (Playthrough)

well, I killed Bell Gargoyles in the first try
+4 sword might have been overkill, but whatevs

also managed to take down a black knight after an initial backstab and repeated learning of his attack patterns
got a nifty yet sadly unuseable BK sword out of it :(

now I wonder if there is a way past the hellkite dragon

I suppose I could try Darkroot Gardens, but that area felt rather highlevel